10 Storage Must-Haves for a Slick and Organised Kitchen

Walking into a kitchen that is clean and ready for action, with a fridge and cupboards stocked clearly with nourishing ingredients and all the functional equipment you need within easy reach makes the inevitable daily task of cooking, eating and clearing up infinitely more efficient and enjoyable. It’s not about spending lots of money or having the fanciest things, but a few storage and organising essentials (many of which can be re-used or re-purposed from elsewhere if necessary) really can make the biggest difference to keeping it this way. I’m so passionate about this subject that I wrote a whole book on it, but if you’d like to dive straight in, here are my 10 favourite kitchen storage must-haves. 

ONE

Enough bins (and a decent size) to sort the rubbish, compost, food waste and recycling easily and quickly according to local collection requirements.

TWO

Safe knife storage area. I’d suggest either get an in-drawer or countertop knife block or using a magnetic knife strip. This keeps knives from getting mixed up with other utensils, helps to keep them sharp and ensures they’re easy to access for food prep.

THREE

Glass storage containers: I like clip-top ones for storing leftovers or batch cooking, large air-tight jars for bulk dried goods and plenty of clean, re-used jam jars for small quantities of things (like spices, seeds, leftovers etc.). It means you can instantly see what you have, what needs eating, and what needs to be added to the shopping list.

FOUR

A fridge-door whiteboard or notepad to write a rough weekly meal plan & note the shopping list.

FIVE

A turntable or small tray for oils, flavours, vinegars and seasoning to keep next to the oven. This will help you elevate healthy cooking with a pop of flavour with no extra effort at all.

SIX

See-through boxes to organise food stocks in the cupboards and fridge. Giving everything a dedicated place not only helps us to keep an eye on stock levels, but makes our storage work more efficiently (as it allows us to use the whole of the shelf height without creating a tumbling tower of food packets).

SEVEN

An opaque box, tin or basket for hiding fun foods or things we don’t want to eat so often. Remember – out of sight, out of mind. It’s much easier to maintain moderation when we don’t have to fight the temptation every single time we walk into the kitchen or open our cupboards!

EIGHT

Larger plastic tubs, boxes or baskets for top shelves or to go on top of the cupboards to store bulk purchases and stock. This allows us to bulk buy (and therefore save a bit of money) while making it much easier to get everything down in one go to re-stock. Look for ones with a lid to keep the contents clean and fresh.

NINE

Simple labels and a Sharpie pen. Overlooked but so helpful, and perhaps the easiest way to feel on top of things. Adding a label to recycled cardboard boxes or reused plastic trays makes them instantly feel more considered.

TEN

Drawer dividers. These might feel like an unnecessary purchase, but they really do make it easier to have a place for everything, and to keep everything in its place.